Bad News Time: Despite a Last-Ditch Struggle to Survive, Mango’s Is Gone

[UPDATE: As promised, I’ve been trying to keep an eye on these remaining shows scheduled at Mango’s, and thankfully, there’re now several that have been moved elsewhere. Take a look at the updated list below.]

Got word today that in spite of several spirited attempts to convince the owners of Mango’s that they should keep the place alive, the venue is now gone, having hosted its final show yesterday. It doesn’t seem like there was a whole lot of advance fanfare/warning as to the actual closing date, although this has been coming for several months now; I know a lot of folks, myself included, had hoped the place would get a reprieve, but it wasn’t to be.

I was fortunate to be able to experience a couple of incarnations of the venue, stepping backwards from the present-day Mango’s moniker to the days when it was called The Oven (and lived up to its name in the summer; as I recall, the A/C was frequently nonexistent). I both witnessed and played some of the best, most fun shows I’ve ever seen in my music-listening/watching/making life at The Oven/Mango’s, from getting my mind blown by Silver Scooter, Pop Deflation, and the Fatal Flying Guilloteens back in the day — and having to hide under a table as Brian Guilloteen tried to bash me in the head with his guitar — to catching the wonderful Peter and the Wolf, {New York City Queens}, {The Wild Moccasins}, The Eastern Sea, {Ghost Mountain}, and {Buxton} in more recent years.

I was crushed when The Oven closed; it had always felt like “our” place, even moreso than The Blue Iguana or Rudz or Fitz was at the time. It was somewhere anybody could play, it seemed like, and it was cheap, and it had decent pizza. I was cautiously hopeful, then, when the spot finally reopened several years later as Mango’s (although my disintegrating memory wants to say it was something else in-between, as well, I don’t think they booked any bands). And now, it’s dead once again.

Of course, it may not stay dead — who knows? It could reopen eventually under a new name, or it could be bulldozed and turned into yet another CVS or something. This is The New Montrose, so the future’s very much up in the air. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, to be sure, but I can’t say I’ll be holding my breath.

In the meantime, the paradoxically expected-yet-sudden closure means there’s a handful of previously scheduled shows left high and dry. Here’re the ones I know about, at least, with any info I’ve got on shows being rescheduled/moved elsewhere. I’ll try to update it as I get new info; here you go:

• Thurs., April 30 – April’s The New Mayday, featuring Markell Gibson, Paulina Sjöberg, Dangfoo, Buddha Deerhead, Underground Merger, & more [Moved to The Shop (6929 Harrisburg)]
• Sat., May 16 – Maximum Rocknroll Presents: The Houston Problem, featuring The Secret Prostitutes, Cop Warmth, Stress33, Gast, & Auto-Fellatio Dreams [Moved to The Shop (6929 Harrisburg)]
• Sun., May 24 – Phantom Head/Reach [Moved to The Shop (6929 Harrisburg)]
• Wed., May 27 – Stellatone/The Escatones/Sik Mule
• Wed., June 17 – Empty Vessels/Toothless Grin/DDA
• Thurs., July 2 – Connoisseur/Fat Stupid Ugly People/A.S.S./Toothless Grin
• Wed., July 8 – Tormenter/Concrete Sledge/Annihilist/Termination Force/Toxic Steel [Promoter looking for new venue; details TBA]
• Sun., July 12 – Hard Charger/Dethrone/Omotai/Saint Crusher [Moved to The Shop (6929 Harrisburg)]
• Sat., August 8 – Gravehill [Cancelled?]

Farewell to Mango’s and all the crew who sailed on her; you’ll be missed…